Railways, Coal sectors working together for better output: Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said the Coal and Railways Ministries are working together to ensure that there is no lack of availability of coal in future.

Addressing a press conference today on the achievements of his ministry in the past four years, Goyal said, "Coal and Railways Ministries are working to ensure that at no point in time, anybody loses the ability to generate power due to lack of availability of coal."

He further said that Railways and Coal sectors, which were neglected for decades by the previous government, have made remarkable progress over the last four years.

"Coal production, which was 462 million tonnes in 2013-14, has increased to 567 million tonnes in 2017-18, and in the current year, it is growing at 15 per cent. In the past four years, the coal sector has also boomed, and its imports also decreased. We are trying to encourage coal plants which are based on imported coal to redesign their capacities so that they can use more domestic coal. We also met Power Minister RK Singh; we will ensure an adequate supply of power to plants," he added.

Highlighting the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, he said the historic reforms undertaken in the coal sector, including allowing commercial mining, have led to the increased energy capacity and fuel efficiency in India.

"The Ministry has worked for ensuring superior coal quality by setting up third-party sampling procedures. The Uttam app has been launched for ensuring transparency and efficiency in the coal monitoring process," he said.

Meanwhile, Goyal launched two apps, 'Rail MADAD' and 'Menu on Rails', during the press conference.

While Rail MADAD will enable travellers to lodge complaints, Menu on Rails will facilitate seamless ordering of food.